Alpha Protocol

Review from Cormac - Sunday, 01 August 2010 @ 11:56am

Alpha Protocol is a new series in the form of an espionage, third-person role player from Obsidian Entertainment. For RPG fans, this means it comes from the folk who brought us the sequels to Neverwinter Nights and Knights of the Old Republic, but may also hint to the level of quality we can expect from the upcoming Fallout: New Vegas. Let's see what they have for us.

The story follows the exploits of Mike Thorton, a make-your-own-agent who spends most of the game conducting the worlds most unnecessarily detailed investigation. He'll take you to multiple locations, spending a few hours in each. Most of it is the same stealth/shoot rinse/repeat but the effort is made to mix things up. There's an entire mission viewed through the scope of a sniper rifle but others have their own quirks as well. I had a lot of fun in a subway level in which it was only safe to fire while trains were passing to cover the noise.

Most characters exist to serve as plot devices but also work to give each setting its own flavour. Most interestingly, I'd swear one of the villains is physically modelled from Michael Atkinson. I wouldn’t go so far as to say they share any character traits, but the resemblance is uncanny. The depiction of some of the locals is what someone paradoxically politically correct would call "culturally insensitive". I encountered a Saudi gatekeeper who uttered the word "American..." through his balaclava with the tone of voice of a demon with a throat infection. There's Russian character drunk on vodka and you fight the Triads in Taiwan, because apparently all Asians are the same.

Someone tell me I’m not the only one who sees the likeness.

Like any healthy 7 pound RPG, there are decisions to be made. Some of these are made in gameplay but most occur in the conversation system. It's an easy enough system to pick up, based on three to four simple variations with a timer to stop conversation stagnating. These choices will carry weight within the storyline, and are often not just a matter of left/right, yes/no. For instance, I didn't fail a mission for killing a bunch of people who were not, strictly speaking, expendable. However it did come back to bite me later. Fuckers.

There's the option to go gung ho but this being the proudly self proclaimed espionage RPG (THE Espionage RPG mind you) the focus is on stealth rather than straight up gun fights. Some boss fights and climactic sequences make combat the stronger hand, but some understanding of stealth is still a big help. Unfortunately both systems have their flaws that I'm quite sure are there for the sake of balance. I think the game’s failing is its ambition, which is a noble way to go but no less frustrating for the player.

The general rules of sneaking apply, but are let down by a few fine details I've come to expect from current generation stealth mechanics. You can't close doors behind you. I know that’s a petty complaint to make but it affects line of sight which affects stealth gameplay and should be an option. If one enemy spots you, he will communicate via an arcane network letting everyone in the room immediately know your exact location. These guys also have x-ray vision, so the people in the next room may also know where you are and moving from cover to cover won't save you. Considering that switching cover is as much a part of shooters as well as stealth games, and this is a crippling oversight. It makes tactics like flanking redundant and makes it impossible to become concealed again.

Yes I punch people in the face for a living. No the sunglasses do not come off.

Stealth's shoot 'em up counterpart is also let down by clumsy AI. Pretty much every enemy's best idea is to charge into melee range, then back up out of shyness. This means I could almost always find a narrow entrance and just wait for them to charge to their deaths Battle of Thermopylae style. Cover isn't much help, neither the game's system for it nor trying to shoot over it. Most objects are larger than they appear, meaning that trying to shoot an enemy who's partially visible will only waste bullets. There are also some truly obnoxious boss fights that serve as irrefutable proof that the game hates its players.

I've heard comparisons to Mass Effect, but they end with the levelling system. There are a number of talents to be upgraded with each level up. This only draws my attention to one of my bigger complaints with this game along with a number of RPG shooters: even when maxed out this is a barely competent shooter. It's still pretty much impossible to move and shoot cleanly. I don't think this is reasonable, even at early levels. The kid is meant to be a toured soldier who's fresh out of training with an advanced new academy. What the fuck where they teaching him in badass agent school if not how to shoot straight? How did he even survive his choose-your-own-back-story field training if he's only figuring this whole firing guns business now?

By the way, does anyone remember that pet peeve I mentioned in the Splinter Cell review? Well AP 1-Ups that. It's a game based in reality (or at least trying its darndest to be realistic) featuring guys who can take multiple shots to the head because they're wearing fucking sunglasses. Sorry to spoil the magic, but that's not how a T-800 worked. Also that series was sci-fi.

Go ahead and insert your own witty caption about guns and guns.

Hacking, lock picking bypassing all take the form of a unique mini-game. Some of these cross the line from challenging to frustrating but that's where the whole RPG element comes to play. You may be able to wing it at first but eventually you'll actually need to spend some skill points if you hope to get a safe open. the more interesting thing with these however is that it does not freeze game time, so you will have to be hidden and not getting shot at to do it safely.

Visuals are a bit lacking. There are a lot of muddy textures and cornered models. Mike's skin always manages to look realistically greasy. Death animations come slightly haunted, particularly when it with headshots and explosions. Often the target's head will become their centre of gravity as the whole body revolves around it at least ones before collapsing. Zoom focus is not your friend and will often catch on the fence, lamppost or general shrubbery in your field of vision and blur the six guys shooting at you.

Pros

RPG elements are well realised. Storyline, levelling up, gearing and regearing will offer a familiar time-sink.

Cons

Some clumsy and often frustrating game mechanics. Neither combat nor stealth feel completely realised.